Device for producing ornamental and decorative bubble lighting effects



Dec. 3, 1946. PETRY DEVICE FOR PRODUCING ORNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE BUBBLE LIGHTING EFFECTS Filed May 6 1946 INVENTOR bbn lib-y ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 3, 1946 UNITED srAres PATENT OFFICE DEVICE FOR PRODUCING OBNAMENTAL AND DECORATIVE. BUBBLE LIGHTING EFFECTS John Petr-y, Bayside, Long Island, N. Y., assignmto Raylite Electric Conn, Bronx, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application May 6, 1946, Serial No. 667,580

of external heat supply, which shall be capable of giving a wide range of predetermined bubble lighting effects, which improved compounded solutions may be made non-inflammable, non-explosive and readily removable when spilled to eliminate permanent stains, and which shall be practical and efllcient to a high degree in use.

Other objects accordingly consist of features of constructions, combinations of elements, arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the constructions hereinafter described and of which the scope of the application will indicate in the following claims.

In the accompanying drawing in which possible illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown: I

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view, partly broken away to expose the interior construction, showing a device for producing ornamental and decorative 1 Claims. (01. 240-) 2 lutions are enclosed accidentally break, and in having limited range of unpredictable bubbling effects.

To overcome these deficiencies, as seen in the drawing, there is provided improved device III for producing ornamental and decorative bubble lighting effects suitable as Christmas tree ornaments, or for other display purposes, constructed to embody the invention. As shown in Fig. 1, said device III may include a vertically disposed transparent tube body made of glass or other translucent material designated as I I, having an integral closed lower or bottom flat end Ila and a sealed top end I lb. Said body portion I I, when the device III is intended, as here, to be used as a Christmas tree decoration, is made in appearance, such as contour and size, to simulate a candle.

bubble lighting effects constructed to embody the invention and operating under substantially atmospheric pressure.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary front elevational view of the bottom tube body and of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front elevational view similar to Fig. 1 showing the bubbling efl'ect operating at less than atmospheric pressure, and

Fig. 4' is a fragmentary front elevational view similar to Fig. 1 showing a variation of bubbling effects by operating with a solution having a relatively greater proportion of readily volatilized constituent than that shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Devices for producing ornamental and decorative bubble lighting effects heretofore available have been found to be deficient in reliability of operation, in being relatively expensiv to manufacture and difficult to produce in quantity production to provide a cheap and inexpensive product, in liability to cause dangerous explosions, fires and permanent stains due to spillage of the bubbling solutions when'tubes in which said so- In the forms of th invention shown in the drawing, the tube body contains a translucent liquid I2, comprising an improved compounded bubbling solution of a character hereinafter described. Said liquid may be placed into the tube body II through the upper or top end llb thereof before fusing or closing the latter for hermetically sealing the liquid l2 therein at a level so as to leave anadequate condensing chamber or space It in the tube end Ilb. -As shown in Figs. land 2, said sealed space I3 may be left under substantially atmospheric pressure, and constitutes a heat dissipating means for liquefaction of large bubbles I5 and small ones I50 rising in the liquid I2 to the upper level thereof.

There may also be provided a flat disc or wafer I6, preferably firmly fitted or seated in fixed position to substantially cover the lower end of the tube body II and abutting against the inner sur- '1 face of the tube end Ila, said disc l6 preferably being made of a' suitable porous surfaced material such as cork, to serve as a bubble generating activator or stimulator. Said disc l6 may also be made of glass which like cork has relatively high heat insulating properties that are effective to equalize and retain the heat transmitting conditions for smooth and prolonged bubble generation in the operation of the improved device l0. Said disc or wafer It may have spaced peripherial through passages I'Ga provided which appear to serve as focal points for initiating bubble generation.

For supplying operating heat and light to device Ill any suitable radiant heat source may be provided.' For example, as shown in Fig. 1, the tube II is supported with the lower or bottom end Ila thereof located in close proximity acteristics is one feature of the invention.

to. lamp bulb 20a of an incandescent lamp 20, the latter being mounted in an electric socket 2| of conventional construction to form part of a Christmas tree lighting outfit or other display or decorative (not shown) in the well understood manner.

A sleeve holder or connector 22 is fitted snugly over the lower or bottom tube end Ila and the lamp bulb 20a to provide a firm interconnecting support or rigid coupling for mounting the device ii in position. Said holder 22 may be made of fibre, glass, plastics or other non-combustible material and serves as a conduit to guide the air surrounding the lamp bulb 20a with the glowing filament 20b as a heat conducting medium to the tube bottom end Ila.

The use of the improved compounded bubbling solution forming liquid l2 which comprises a plurality of constituents of different physical char- While it has been generally recognized that bubbling devices of the character described could be made and operated using readily volatilizable liquids of relatively low viscosity, as for example, ether,

wood alcohol, methylene chloride, methanol and the like, such prior volatile liquids have been found deficient and undesirable in practical use for one or more reasons given above. It has also been found that it is difllcult to predict within reasonable and practical accuracy the bubbling performance effects to be expected using such prior liquids in commercial manufactured devices. It is proposed herein to use instead of said prior volatile liquids, improved solutions each comprising principally of at least two constituents having such reverse type of character, as for example, an oil like constituent of relatively high viscosity which at operating temperature is relatively non-volatile and a readily volatilizable constituent of relatively low viscosity, such as methylene chloride, chloroform or ether and the like. While various products of mineral, animal, vegetable and synthetic origin may be used as the relatively non-volatile and high viscous constituent, organic oils such as inexpensive rape seed, castor or cod liver oils and the like have been found to give satisfactory results in making solutions with one of said readily volatilizable constituent in providing the improved solution liquid l2. The amount of such volatilizable constituent in the solution of liquid l2 may be varied greatly to give various bubbling effects. Though such volatilizable constituent alone may be flammable, in solution the oil like constituent serves as a fire retardant. Where the volatilizable constituent is flammable, a relatively small amount of carbontetrachloride which is also readily volatilizable, may be included in the solution liquid to insure against fire and explosion hazards.

Liquid synthetic resins, containing polystyrene or vinyl plastics (such as commonly known as Lucite) may also be used in solution liquid I: if desired as the oil like viscous and non-volatilizable constituent, the latter being soluble in methylene chloride may be added thereto in granular form when providing said liquid l2.

By using'organic oils instead of those of synthetic origin, such as lacquers, liquid synthetic resins and the like, stains that may be accidentally caused by spillage in breaking of the tube I l are more readily removed.

In practicing the invention, socket 2| forms part of a Christmas tree or other decorative display, and is connected in an electric circuit (not shown) for lighting lamp 20 in assuming the 7 the well understood manner, heat radiating from the lamp filament 20b is eifective to heat the tube end I la and the cork or glass disc I therein. The lower end of the column of solution liquid I2 is heated by contacting said disc l8 and the readily volatile and low viscous constituent thereof is vaporized therefrom. Said peripherial grooves "a serve as focal points. of the bubble generation to form bubbles l5 and lia rising through liquid column l2, the latter being under substantially atmospheric pressure as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The sleeve holder 22 serves as a conduit to efiectively confine the heat conducting medium, namely, air, therein.

Thus there is provided the degree of heat necessary from a minimum heat source at lampfllament 20b, sufiicient light beams from bulb 20 being projected either through the glass disc IO, or when disc I6 is made of cork through the side walls of the transparent tube body II to illuminate the liquid column l2 and bubbles II and lia thereby producing an attractive activated novel bubble lighting efi'ect. By using colored glass discs l6 various desired colors may be produced in liquid l2 and bubbles l5 and lid.

The column of solution liquid l2 within the tube body II, which when said device I0 is operating, extends between .the cork or glass disc it and the top tube space I2, and may be under atmospheric pressure condition in the top space it, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Said solution liquid l 2 has external illuminating radiant heat applied thereto, as by. means of the glowing lamp filament 20b which is positioned to maintain the disc l8 heated and supplied to an effective degree suiflcient to volatilize the low viscosity constituent, or constituents when carbontetrachloride is .included, of the solution liquid l2 contacting the cork or glass disc II and at the focal points provided at the peripherial slots lta dissociating the same from the solution to form bubbles II and lia which float up through the length of said liquid column l2. The high viscous constituent provides a float support medium of substantial buoyancy in the liquid l2 for said bubbles II and Ila.

Under certain effective conditions such as providing substantially atmospheric pressure in tube space ll many minute bubbles Ila will also be formed which slowly rise and simulate a background for a stream of individual relatively more rapidly rising larger bubbles IS. The flowing bubbles Ii and Ila rising through liquid column l2 produced are illuminated by light beams emanating from the lamp filaments 20b as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The bubbles II and lia on reaching said top space. after passing through said liquid column l2 are cooled, condensed and liquified, and fiow down into the solution liquid l2 for replenishing and restoring the relative constituent solution composition to repeat the cycle of operation above described. Said bubbling action continues as long as there exists a sumcient heat gradient or diflerential temperature between the vapor in bubbles l5 and Na at said disc IQ and the condensation in top space I! after liquefaction of said bubbles I I and lie, that is as long as vapor pressure at'bottom of liquid column l2 at disc it exceeds the vapor tension in said space After the lamp 22 is lighted, self-starting of the bubbling operation of device I0, takes place on the heated surface of disc l6 and in one or more of the peripherial slots Ila, the heating of nonvolatilized oil constituent of solution liquid l2 in space I3 by a bubbling froth I2a.

appears to favor such action. The surrounding oil constituent of relatively high viscosity left, when said low viscous bubble forming constituent or constituents volatilize from solution liquid I2, serve as a viscous drag to retard bubble movement and aid in building up the larger individual bubbies I5 which form a stream moving up through the solution liquid I2 slower than otherwise would be the case.

In the above construction and operation, no static condition is experienced and self-starting of the bubbling operation eliminates all necessity of jarring the .tube after turning on the heat thus providing a more practical device of the character described than those of the prior art.

Further advantage of using a solution liquid I2 comprising high and low viscous constituents is that the range of bubbling effects can be greatly varied particularly when different pressures are provided in tube space I3. Thus by varying the quantities of high and low viscous constituents making up the solution liquid I2 and providing relatively a high, intermediate, or low pressure in space I3, a great variety of bubbling effects are produced each of which can be predetermined by reproducing the solution liquid I2 of the same constituents and providing the same pressure in space I3 of the device III. In Fig. 3, for example, there is shown the effects ofsimply providing a reduced pressure in tube space I! instead oratmospheric pressure to permit lowering the boiling point normally required for the constituents in liquid I2 but retaining the same liquid I2 as in Figs. 1 and 2. The bubbles I5 are accelerated in movement through the liquid I2 and said bubbles I5 appear in greater quantity and mpre uniform in size. The top He of the liquid column I2 also appears frothy in this operation.

In Fig. 4 .there is shown another modified form of the invention eflective by merely varying the proportions of the relatively readily volatilizable and low viscous constituent with relation to the relative viscosity of the liquid I2 so that the amount of volatilizable constituent used is much greater compared with that producing the effects shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and described above. The bubbling effect in Fig. 4 appears as continuously winding stream flows I I5 intermingled with small floating bubbles lie in liquid I2 and is headed Various other different bubble eifects can be produced by using other solutions of liquid I2 comprising various diiferent proportions and kinds of said constituents and operating under different pressures in space I3.

All of the above effects can be predetermined, after once produced, by duplicating the kinds and proportions of constituents making up-the solution I2 and by operating under the same pressure conditions in space I3. I

It is, therefore, seen that there is provided improved devices and solution liquids in which the objects of the invention are achieved and which 6 in the above invention for use for diiferent purposes and various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is understood that all the above matters here set forth, or

- shown in the accompanying drawing are to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Thus having described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A bubbling device of the character described comprising a sealed transparent elongated tube body, a solution liquid compounded of a plurality of constituents in said tube body, a holder for supporting an end of said tube body with the solution liquid, means in said holder for applying heat externally to said tube body end, one of said constituents having high volatility and low viscosity, the other of said constituents having low volatility and high viscosity so that saidfirst constituent is more volatile and'less viscous than the said second constituent, whereby on the application of said heating means the first constituent is dissociated from said solution and volatilized to produce a flowing stream of bubbles in said liquid.

2. A bubbling device of the character described having 'a transparent tubular body, a solution comprising a plurality of liquid constituents sealed in the body, at least two of said constituents having reversed characteristics as .to volatilization and viscosity, one of said constituents having high volatility and low viscosity, the other of said constituents having low volatility and high viscosity for producing on heating dissociation and vaporization of the high voltile constituent to form a flowing bubble stream in said liquid, the

relative proportions of said constituents being selected to attain a characteristic bubbling efiect.

3. A bubbling device of the character described, having a transparent tube body with sealed-in bubble forming solution liquid comprising a plurality of constituents, one constituent having relatively low viscous and highly volatilizable characteristics, and another constituent havin relatively high viscous and low volatilizable characteristics, said first mentioned constituent being vaporizable on application of heat to the soare well adapted to meet all conditions of praclution liquid in said tube body to dissociate same and form flowing bubbles therein.

4. The bubbling device as defined in claim 3 in which vaporization of said low viscous and highly volatilizable constituent is effective under substantially atmospheric 'pressure.

5. The bubbling device as defined in claim 3 highly volatilizable constituent is effective under pressure less than atmospheric.

6. The bubbling device as defined in claim 1 having bubble stimulating means positioned in said tube body end to facilitate initiating bubbling operation on the application of heat.

' 'i'. The bubbling device as defined in claim 2 including bubble initiating means in said tube body to facilitate self-starting generation of the flowing bubbles on said application of heat.

" JOHN PE'IRY. 

